LORRAINE, N.Y. — A recent local-government audit of the Town of Lorraine, in Jefferson County, by the Office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that the town supervisor did not maintain complete, accurate, and up-to-date accounting records and reports. As a result, the town board lacked reliable information necessary to manage the […]
LORRAINE, N.Y. — A recent local-government audit of the Town of Lorraine, in Jefferson County, by the Office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that the town supervisor did not maintain complete, accurate, and up-to-date accounting records and reports.
As a result, the town board lacked reliable information necessary to manage the town’s financial operations, the comptroller’s office stated.
The supervisor did not identify and resolve discrepancies between recorded cash balances and adjusted bank balances, in part, because she did not perform bank reconciliations in an accurate manner, per the audit report. As of Dec. 31, 2023, three bank account cash balances totaling $105,091 were not included in the accounting records and the remaining three bank accounts’ adjusted bank balances exceeded the recorded cash balances by $513,735. State auditors identified about $440,000 in recordkeeping errors that contributed to this difference between the cash in the bank and the records.
The audit report included 10 recommendations that, if implemented, will improve the supervisor’s records and reports and the board’s oversight of financial operations, per the comptroller’s office. The recommendations included having the town supervisor attend municipal accounting training available through OSC, maintain complete and accurate financial records that properly account for all financial activity, and ensure the financial records are closed out at the end of each fiscal year. The report also recommended that the town board ensure bank reconciliations are prepared each month and independently reviewed, along with bank statements and canceled check images.
“Town officials agreed with our recommendations,” the audit report said. A response letter signed by Sandra L. Clark, supervisor of the Town of Lorraine, stated in part, “we do not contest the findings.”
The town of Lorraine is located in southern Jefferson County, bordering Oswego County, and has a population of about 1,000.
